1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf putters and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods for increased putting accuracy and consistency.
2. Description of the Background
Each day a large number of avid golfers gather to play golf on numerous golf courses throughout most of the world. The game of golf is very challenging and each golfer continually strives to improve his game. While there are many techniques involved in the game of golf besides those of the putting game, it can probably safely be said that increased accuracy and consistency at putting is a goal of practically all golfers.
The accuracy and consistency of a putt is dependent on the precise movement and orientation of the putter as the golf ball is hit. As a general rule, the golf putter includes a shaft portion having a putter head on one end thereof. The putter head has a striking surface for hitting the ball. Numerous attempts have been made to design a putter or training device for a putter that improves the user's accuracy and consistency. Aspects that are particularly important to putting include: (1) accurate aiming, (2) moving of the putter in the desired direction of aiming, and (3) hitting the ball at a position so as to impart an overspin to roll the ball forward rather than imparting a sliding movement thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,656 to R. Tiller discloses a training device having a long, slender rigid bar attached to the shaft of a putter. A resilient, flexible line is attached to the bar. The line has one end adapted to be anchored to a stationary point.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,151 to Anderson et at. discloses a golf putter head that utilizes a cylindrical weight receptacle centrally located and perpendicular to the rear of the location on the striking surface where the golf ball is intended to be struck.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,158 to J. E. Kuykendall discloses a golf putter comprising a putter blade having a forwardly-angled striking face to impart immediate overspin to the ball being struck. The putter further includes a relatively large square handle or grip for enabling alignment of the palm of the hand with the projected line of ball travel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,931 to M. Jazdzyk, Jr. discloses a golf putter with a head portion having an upwardly extending hose to which a shaft is secured. The head of the putter has an upper surface with a camouflaging texture that simulates the color and texture of the grass covering the putting green. With this camouflaging, highly visible indicia on the club head and spaced parallel fins equaling the diameter of the ball stand out so that the golfer can square the putter face with the putting line.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,792 to Straza et al. discloses a golf putter head with a cavity in its front face containing an insert member having a front, ball striking face co-planar with the front face of the body. The insert member comprises a honeycomb cellular structure with the cells of the structure filled with a resilient, epoxy material. The walls of the cellular structure are mounted in the cavity perpendicular to the inclined club striking face surface and have exposed cell edges co-planer with the surface of the resilient material and the club striking surface for simultaneously impacting a golf ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,478 to D. C. Long discloses a golf putter head that is longer, wider, and higher. The putter head includes a blade having a striking face, a blade sole, a heel end, a toe end and a rear face. A flange extends integrally and rearwardly from the blade and has enlarged heel and toe sections. The putter head has a milled face smoothed to within 0.001 inch to eliminate skew on striking.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,094 to Sebo et al. discloses a golf club head formed of light-transmitting material and having at least one and preferably three metallic weight members, preferably elongate, disposed transversely to the longitudinal axis of the club head.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,989 to A. P. Stewart discloses a golf putter having a pair of horizontally spaced sights on the back face of the club head, with the sights diverging outwardly and rearwardly, the arrangement being such that the forward projection of the sights converges at a point spaced several feet in front of the putter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,193 to M. J. Pierman discloses a golf putter head with an elongate side-to-side extending body portion with a front face adapted to be positioned in a generally vertically extending plane. A forward upper face has a short notch extending along an axis which is referred to as the X axis and is perpendicular to the front face. Notches extend on either side of the short notch extending along the line defined as a Y axis which is parallel to the plane containing the front face and which is perpendicular to the X axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,802 to G. C. Wright discloses a golfing aid for improving a golfer's swing plane and putting stroke that includes a base member with an elongated rod connected to the base member by a pivotal support arm wherein the elongated rod is movable between a first position wherein it inclines upwardly and outwardly away from the golfer in a forward direction and a second position wherein it lies parallel to the ground in closely spaced relationship therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,752 to F. T. Moriarty discloses a training aid for putting having a base adapted to assume the slope of the surface on which it is placed and a standard normal to the base and providing a line of travel sighting aid.
Consequently, there remains a need for a golf putter that allows for accurate and consistent putting by providing easier sighting and providing means for consistently hitting the ball at a position that imparts an overspin thereto. Those skilled in the art have long sought and will appreciate the present invention which provides solutions to these and other problems.